Haymitch Week
by melle66
Summary: Stay Alive. Let's all enjoy Haymitch Abernathy and his week.
1. Day 2

Day 2: Inspired by a song

Song is Brother by Little Green Cars.

* * *

He found the letter in the pocket of his old pants. The last time he wore them was the day he came back from his games and now, a revolution later, he had found the little piece of paper in his old pants' pockets. He couldn't even remember who gave it to him. It had been a devastating day for him, so he hadn't really cared about anything or anyone.

Now… If he hadn't decided to –finally- clean his house thoroughly to get rid of everything he didn't need or want anymore, the letter would be lost forever.

" _Brother, I've been trying to reach you…"_

Started the letter, and Haymitch could already feel the lump in his throat.

 _Brother, got a new song to teach you, another useless piece of advice._

Iain had always had a nice handwriting, thought Haymitch with a sigh. The boy had always tried to get Haymitch to be softer, a little more delicate. Haymitch considered such things and impractical waste of time, though. They had a game, he remembered. A game their mother despised because she didn't even like to think of the possibility of having her children reaped. They only played it while they were walking.

"What's your advice?" used to ask Iain with an eager smile that always made Haymitch shake his head. The boy got more excited about the Games than he should.

"Stay away from the Cornucopia" would reply Haymitch. Maybe "Don't make allies."

 _Our mother wants to know if you've grown…_

He kept reading, not too surprised at finding his mother hadn't watched him, or noticing even his brother was having trouble at Haymitch's possible death.

 _She's better, but still cries down the phone to her sister at least once a week._

Had she known he'd be back, she wouldn't have cried… She would have waited patiently. Had he known what he was coming back to, he would have done something more memorable.

 _And Hugo thinks he's falling in love, but you know what he is like…_

Good, old, flirty Hugo. He was two years older tan Haymitch, but he died shortly after the second Quarter Quell. He had gone out after curfew to go visit his girlfriend. Unfortunately, his wounds from the whipping got infected… his death was slow and there was no one by his side. No one sober at least…

 _She's nice. You never know, maybe this one will last._

Well, she lasted more than him. Now she was married and had two sons in their teens. No longer in danger, he thought with a sigh.

Everyone seemed to be better somehow. Everyone had fought for a reason. Peeta for Katniss, Katniss for Prim… Even if the little girl had died, Katniss still had the baker boy. Why did he do it? Was it just to end Snow's reign of terror? Was it vengeance? Did he do it for Katniss? Was it for everyone? Maybe in name of the future generations…

 _As for me, when daddy died, I guess I went crazy…_

Had written Iain, but the words made Haymitch snort loudly. His brother was… what? Four years old when their father died? How could he even remember them? For all he knew, Haymitch had been his only father figure… Unless that was exactly what his younger brother meant. He had assumed Haymitch wouldn't come back.

 _Was a hell of a ride, yeah… but lately I've been doing alright._

Suddenly he remembered how his name had sounded strange in the deep silence that settled in everyone around him. He recalled how his legs seemed to move on their own, even though they weighed as if his boots were made of lead. Someone cried out, but he didn't turn to meet her gaze. He wanted to remember her smile and the way her hair shone when the sunlight fell upon it, not her horrified expression. He refused to have anyone say goodbye. Only his brother had been stubborn enough to storm into the small room at the Justice Building.

 _And last night I had a dream but it seemed like real life. I awoke with a scream into lamplight and everything was quiet._

Had Iain written the letter short before dying? Wondered Haymitch, running a hand through his hair. Did he dream of the fire? Was he choking with the smoke while trying to save himself or their mother in his dream?

 _Brother, I've been trying to reach you. Brother, got a new song to teach you…_

At least he got to say goodbye to him. They got to play one last time, but it was Iain's turn to answer the question.

… _another useless piece of advice._

"Stay alive."


	2. Day 3

_Belated post for Day 3: Family, friends and enemies_

 _I've been drawning with university projects, but I still managed to write something. Hope you like it._

* * *

Johanna had always looked up at Haymitch in a way. After her Games, she had felt lost and angry most of the time. She felt like she didn't belong, but when she met him… Well, he was a fearless man who had set quite the precedent when winning the Quarter Quell, right? So when their paths crossed the first time she worked as a mentor, the small part of her that still could feel wanted him to approve of her.

To her surprise, the first words he told her were "Good job, sweetheart."

"I am not your sweetheart" she replied aggressively, almost by instinct, but it made him laugh. Just like that, she was somehow accepted in his group of friends. In a way, having tem was what kept her from going insane. Once a year she got to see the people she liked and trusted, and that was a light in the darkness that surrounded Panem.

For some reason she couldn't quite understand, Haymitch seemed to be everyone's advisor. It didn't make sense to her. Why did they, herself included, end up looking for the one person of the group who seemed to constantly forced his emotions out of his body? He seemed detached whenever he sat down to listen to someone's problem and, even though his way of giving advice could be seen as blunt a hurtful, it left a sense of peace.

That was the reason why Haymitch was the first person she looked for in Thirteen. She knew he would spare her the "you are safe here" bullshit. She found him – or bumped into him, to be precise- just as she was leaving the hospital wing. He looked at her intently for just enough time to let her notice he was sober. Then he pulled her into his arms and hold her against him without any sort of sweetness.

"I'm glad to see you" he said and it was as if he had teared down something inside her. She allowed herself to cry silently against his chest, knowing he wouldn't mind. He understood her. He always did.

* * *

When Finnick met Haymitch, he didn't like or trust him. He thought the man was intimidating and looked like the kind of person Finnick's mom would have forbidden him to befriend. By that time Haymitch was already lost in the vice of alcohol, of course, but for some reason Mags seemed to like him. The first few years the boy tried to avoid the mentor from Twelve, until he received his first envelope. He didn't want to ask Mags about it. She was like a grandmother to him, and the talk would be not only uncomfortable, but sad as well.

Haymitch seemed to notice there was something wrong with him, because he approached him silently and pulled him aside. At first, Finnick was silent and wary of his fellow victor, but then Haymitch started talking a little about his own experiences and offering one or two advices on how to keep his mind off it. Once Finnick's first appointment was over, Haymitch was the first person to visit him and show him some support. The younger victor saw him talking to Mags afterwards, but the woman didn't act any differently towards him, which made him thankful.

When they were in Thirteen, Haymitch was one of the few to understand Finnick's worry. Having Johanna and Peeta in the hands of Snow was a mild equivalent of what he felt towards Annie. Still, that man everyone disregarded as a drunk who didn't care about anyone was the only one who managed to convince him Annie wouldn't be harmed. When he said it, it somehow made sense.

* * *

With the war over, Effie felt more out of place than ever. True, she had felt inadequate in Thirteen, but now she didn't belong in the Districts, as always, and the Capitol wasn't as welcoming anymore. Wherever she looked, there would be someone looking at her with disdain. The rebels didn't fully trust her because of her past as an escort, and the Capitols saw her as a traitor. While other people celebrated or found a way to start building their new lives, Effie locked herself in her apartment and tried to figure out where to go. As days passed by, she was more and more convinced that she would end up being forgotten. Just a shadow of the revolution that no one really cared about.

She was beginning to accept that fact until, one day, there was a knock on her door. When she saw Haymitch standing in front of her, she couldn't help but throw her arms around his neck and hug him as tight as she could. It made him chuckle softly as his arms wrapped around her waist.

"I thought I told you not to be a stranger" he whispered as his lips met hers in a quick, chaste kiss. They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds and he ran his hand through her hair. "Come home, sweetheart."

With a small smile and another kiss she nodded, even though she was already there. That was the thing with Haymitch. He didn't need to do much to make people feel at home.


	3. Day 5

Day 5: Post-Mockingjay

 _Comments in reviews would be appreciated ;) Also, there is no day 4 because I (kinda) drew something that I posted on my tumblr (which is unglobitoazul)._

* * *

"You have to put yourself in his place" was saying an apparently frustrated Effie Trinket when Haymitch made his way to the top of the stairs. He was about to go to the kitchen to have breakfast –even though he was almost sure it was past 1pm- but he decided to stop and listen.

" _I've told you a thousand times it is bad manners to eavesdrop, Haymitch Abernathy!"_ said Effie's voice in his mind, but he shook his head to suppress the thought. It was a bad idea. His head was throbbing as if it was going to explode in any second. That was the one thing he hated about being hungover, but what could he do about it? Going back to Twelve had been a hell of a ride. When Plutarch instructed him to leave with Katniss and keep an eye on her, Haymitch assumed both of them would be left alone. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Katniss was the face of the revolution and he –although he kept refusing to accept it- was the mind behind it. As time went by, the problems between people from the districts and those from the Capitol began to escalate. While the districts had reached a point of cohesion during the war, they certainly did not trust Capitols. Of course, their counterpart felt as if the rebels had taken away everything they had. Granted, they didn't live in poverty now, but their luxuries were now shared throughout the districts. Everyone resented everyone and that was why Plutarch decided he would need Katniss, Haymitch and everyone else who had been involved to make public appearances or, in Katniss' case, to film short spots to promote peace throughout Panem.

Knowing the girl needed to have her own peace before being able to help others again, Haymitch made a deal with Plutarch: he would do as many interviews as the other man wanted as long as Katniss only had to make one or two spots in which she wasn't asked personal questions. The victor would have liked to say it was worth it for the girl, but each interview demanded more of him. They were longer, which meant he had to talk even more. The questions came one after the other, forcing him to bring back memories he had tried to bury with alcohol for years.

"You said you were done with him, so I booked the first train available…" Kept saying Effie's voice. She sounded tired and it made Haymitch wonder if she had slept at all. It made him feel guilty for drinking so much on the train. Still, he didn't ask her to come with him, right? It was her choice to keep acting as his escort… A choice she made based on her love for him, of course. Which was why Haymitch felt guilty. He knew Effie hated his drinking, even though she didn't make comments about it anymore. She could see he was trying not to fall back entirely into his alcoholism, and she gave him the space and time he needed. For his part, Haymitch found he liked having someone by his side when he woke up, and talking to her sometimes was enough for him to resist the urge to drink.

"No, Plutarch. I am most definitely not taking Haymitch back to the Capitol" he heard her say. Finally, he walked down the stairs and into the living room, where Effie was talking on the phone. She looked up at him and smiled tiredly while Plutarch kept talking on the other end. Her hand held the chord of the phone, twisting it casually in her fingers. "And how exactly do you expect me to convince him?"

Haymitch shook his head and let out a sigh, but Effie winked at him to let him know she had the situation controlled. He smiled and walked to stand right behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. It was as if they had rehearsed their movements over time. Whenever he hugged her like that, she immediately leaned her back against his chest and closed her eyes. He usually liked holding her like that just for the peaceful expression in her face, but she didn't seem too peaceful that day. "Plutarch, I already told you it's out of the question… Listen, we're going out with the kids, so I'm afraid I have to hang up. We'll talk next month! Have a splendid day, dear!"

"Did you just … left him talking?" he asked with an amused smile, but Effie simply shrugged, relaxing in his arms. "That's new, Trinket."

She opened her eyes only so he could see she was rolling them. "Don't make me regret it. I can still call him back to say I'm sending you to him on your own." She threatened with a mocking smile, "I could use some peace and quiet…"

"Oh, please… You would jump on that train right before the doors were closed" he said, smirking, "You can't live without me and you know it too damn well."

"Neither of us can" she whispered softly, turning in his arms so that they faced each other. "Katniss, Peeta… me, we can't live without you."

He leaned down to press a chaste kiss on her lips that made her smile.

"Tell me, Haymitch, could you live without us?" she asked, gently stroking his cheek with her hand. He looked at her in silence for a few seconds. He thought of the warm smile that was always on her face whenever she woke him up, or the almost mandatory Friday dinner at the kid's place. It was odd and felt almost mundane to sit at their table talking about the flowers Effie wanted to plant on the backyard but couldn't because of Haymitch's new geese. After everything they'd been through, it seemed odd indeed. It made him happy, even though he probably would never speak it out with those words.

He gave Effie one sweet kiss before breaking away from her and heading to the stairs again, "C'mon, the kids must be waiting for us!" he exclaimed as an answer that made Effie smile warmly.

Sometimes Haymitch truly acted like a child, but it was fine. It meant he was fine.


End file.
